


Hollow Presence

by Jasni16, penguinberryfest



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Minor Character Death, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:21:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25243060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jasni16/pseuds/Jasni16, https://archiveofourown.org/users/penguinberryfest/pseuds/penguinberryfest
Summary: Baekhyun had always felt nothing from his soulmate and suddenly he feels everything.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Do Kyungsoo | D.O
Comments: 20
Kudos: 110
Collections: Penguin Berry Fest- Round 02 (January- July 2020)





	Hollow Presence

**Author's Note:**

> **Self-Prompt** \- Soulmate AU where they can feel intense emotions of each other.   
>  **Disclaimer: penguin berry fest does not own exo and/or any characters that are mentioned in the stories.** their appearance in these fics do not represent them in real life. authors will be tagged after reveals unless they wish to remain anonymous.

Intro

Pain.

Hot, heart-wrenching pain surges up the young man's heart suddenly as he tries to sleep. Hands clutching his chest, he screams in agony and starts to tear up instinctively. 

No one's in sight. No one has attacked him.

Hearing his screams, another young man rushes in, slamming the door open.

"Baekhyun! Are you okay?" he asks as he crouches down to the now sitting man. 

"I need you to tell me what's wrong!" he adds when Baekhyun only groans without saying anything. 

A few seconds pass as Baekhyun tries to calm down. He doesn't say anything for a while, still holding his heart. Then, he slowly looks up to his roommate and best friend. "I think I have a soulmate after all."

* * *

Being at EXODUS for two years has made Baekhyun very familiar with the white room reeking of disinfectant. He has been here numerous times, much to the chagrin of his doctor.

Yixing doesn’t look disappointed right now though. He looks perplexed.

“I don’t understand. You have never felt any emotions from your soulmate, not even fear of death to imagine they passed away. And now you suddenly have a persistent ache in your heart?” the young healer ponders.

Baekhyun takes the medical charts from his hands, “There’s nothing physically wrong with me?”

Yixing shakes his head no, muttering to himself about how it’s a disgrace as a healer not to find the cause or be able to cure something as basic as a ‘heartache’.

Baekhyun sighs, getting up from his examination chair, “Well, I have to get to training. Jongdae will kill me if I ditch him for the duo exercise.”

Ignoring protests from the doctor in training, he heads back to the base where a joint partner exercise is about to start.

He doesn’t understand what happened last night. Initially, he thought it might be his soulmate. After all, if there’s an emotion you don’t recognize, it’s generally from your soulmate. But he should know better. Right?

He arrives at the training base and looks around for his best friend, finding him flirting with a pretty girl who he remembers to be an invisibility user.

Before he could decide on whether to interrupt them, Jongdae looks over and says something to the girl before approaching him.

“Hyun! Are you feeling good enough to come back now?” he asks, concern etched on his face.

Baekhyun nods, telling him not to worry and that he’s fine now. They hear a loud siren, signaling the start of the training exercise.

Baekhyun and Jongdae look at each other, words not needing to be said before the duo runs towards their goal.

“I cannot believe Sangmin thought sunglasses would make him immune to your blinding!” Jongdae exclaims as they walk towards their shared housing. 

Chuckling, Baekhyun shrugs, “He probably heard about me blinding Taewoon with light in the entrance test.”

As they approach the EXODUS colony, Baekhyun looks at the familiar long stretched land of individual houses, each exactly 1 mile apart. It’s for the safety of the trainees. From each other. No more than two Unveiled are allowed to live in a house. Although, if a house has an unassigned room, the trainees aren’t forbidden from using it.

Baekhyun is lucky he was assigned to a house with an unclaimed room this year. He pestered Jongdae to live with him and his best friend reluctantly agreed to stay over for a few days. A few days turned into a few weeks and that turned into two months now. Frankly, Baekhyun doesn’t know why Jongdae wouldn’t just bring his stuff over already.

“But he must’ve known you can now literally make people go temporarily blind!” Jongdae tuts in exasperation. “I’m tired of these people underestimating your powers until they experience them firsthand.”

Baekhyun laughs, “Well it gives me an edge when they don’t expect it so I’m not complaining.”

His phone starts ringing just as they enter their house.

“Oh, it’s my mom,” he says before lifting the call. “Hi, mom!”

A small smile adorns his face, immediately turning towards his room for some privacy.

“You look like shit,” Jongdae comments, drinking his coffee at the dining table.

Baekhyun groans a little, eyes scrunching at the bright light just as he walks out of his room.

“It’s been a week. Do you still feel the pain?” Jongdae asks, getting up to make some coffee for his friend.

Baekhyun grunts, “I don’t understand why. It doesn’t make sense.”

“Not if you really have a soulmate.”

“Then why would they not have felt anything all these years? Ten years without emotions, Dae! That cannot be possible.”

Jongdae hands the coffee over to the disgruntled man. “Of course, it’s possible. Maybe they were in an accident and went into a coma for ten years. They would be feeling pretty horrible after waking up so it would make sense why you’re in pain every day.”

Baekhyun gives him a deadpanned look but it gets him thinking: Jongdae might be right about him having a soulmate. It’s a weird feeling. The hope. When everyone around him started to feel their soulmates in the orphanage, he waited. He waited for years to feel someone.

But it never happened. And he gave up on it. Being disappointed every day wasn’t a fun feeling. He just figured he’s destined to be alone. No parents and no soulmate. And he didn’t mind it after a while.  
Well, that’s a lie.

He did mind not having a soulmate. He desperately wished he could feel them, even if he couldn’t ever find them. He had his little brothers that he had to take care of. And he loved them. But he remembers the nights he would cry to sleep as a kid, after being teased for having a ‘dumb’ power. He just wanted someone who would love him, even if everyone else didn’t.

Being adopted made it better, he’s not gonna lie. Still, that didn’t mean he wasn’t reminded every day that he had no one who would fit exactly for him. At least he wasn’t disappointed anymore.

Now he isn’t sure how he should feel about that hopeless hope reigniting.

He ignores Jongdae’s words, along with the ache in his heart. “I’ll just get Yixing to examine me again. There must be something wrong with my heart.”

Yes, there must be something wrong with him because if he has a soulmate, he should be able to feel other emotions too.

“You’re being assigned a roommate, Baekhyun.” His trainer’s voice is sharp, not giving any opening for a protest.

“But… but Mr. Siwon, Jongdae and I have been living there for months already. Can’t they just be assigned to Jongdae’s room instead?”

Siwon’s expression doesn’t change. “No. Make sure the room is empty and clean before tomorrow.”

Jongdae pats on Baekhyun’s shoulder, equally disappointed. “It’s okay, Baek… it’s not like we can’t visit each other at our rooms.”

Baekhyun nods but can’t help feeling like a petulant child. He doesn’t want to stay with a stranger. He wants his best friend!

They head back to Jongdae’s soon-to-be ex-room to clean up.

“I wonder who will come in now. It’s not testing season. And if they are assigned a room with you, they must be our age. They could only be transferring and not starting their training,” Jongdae muses out loud.

Baekhyun grumbles, “Why didn’t they just stay where they were instead of transferring here in the middle of the year. We have our missions in a few months! No one transfers at this time!”

Jongdae laughs, amused by Baekhyun’s complaints. “Maybe they’re strong. After all, EXODUS doesn’t accept just anyone. Especially if it’s a transfer during the last training year.”

Baekhyun doesn’t say anything, only continuing to clean up the room.

“Are you positively _sure_ that there’s nothing wrong with my heart, Yixing?” Baekhyun asks, putting his shirt back on after the physical examination ends.

The doctor sighs, “For the hundredth time, Baekhyun… there is nothing physically wrong with you. You’re gonna make me question my skills if you ask anymore.”

At least Baekhyun has the decency to look guilty. Yixing looks at him softly, a hand resting on the disappointed man’s shoulder.

“I know you’re afraid, but I really think it could be your soulmate. It might not be a bad idea to look for them.”

Baekhyun purses his lips. “Yeah… I suppose you’re right.”

Baekhyun waves his friend goodbye and walks back to his quarters. As he approaches, a pout and a frown appear on his face as he remembers that today is the day his new housemate arrives.

He pours some water into a glass when he hears a faint noise coming from Jongdae’s previous room. He immediately walks over, “Hello?”

There’s no reply. Jongdae cannot be here because it’s his shift for border watch. The academy makes the trainees do their own security detail.

Reckoning it’s probably his new housemate, he approaches the room. “Hello? You must be the new trainee. I’m your roommate. Can I come in?”

No response.

He knocks on the door- again, eliciting no response. Now a little suspicious, he opens the door, ready to attack if something seems wrong.

“Ahhh!” Baekhyun accidentally emits an extremely strong light from his now stretched hands towards the semi-naked man coming out of the bathroom.

Simultaneously, the ground begins to shake, random bursts of the earth shooting up like pillars. Finally coming to senses, Baekhyun stops his light while trying to escape the various holes and pillars on the previously pristine floor.

“I’m not attacking you!” he shouts at the man trying to squint while still making the ground shake.

As the stranger calms down, Baekhyun raises his hands in peace, just to show he means no harm. “I’m sorry for blinding you! I was startled to find a... semi-naked man in the room,” he looks up and down as if pointing it out.

The man’s expression is calm like he’s quietly discerning Baekhyun’s whole personality with that short exchange of words. Baekhyun feels a little exposed, even though he’s not the one without clothes.

“Who are you?” he asks, slightly tilting his head. He has short hair, opposed to Baekhyun’s long locks which almost cover his eyes. His hair is jet black and wet with water from the shower.

Baekhyun smiles, waving a little. “My name is Baekhyun, I’m your new housemate. I heard a noise but you didn't reply so I wanted to check to see if everything was alright.”

The stranger doesn’t say anything for a few seconds, staring at Baekhyun in thought. Then, “I’m Kyungsoo.”

Baekhyun smiles awkwardly, expecting more information from him than just a name. “Oh well, nice to meet you Kyungsoo! I’m sure you’re going to enjoy EXODUS.”

“I didn’t think it was a place to enjoy.”

Kyungsoo’s voice doesn’t have any bite to it. But it’s not exactly friendly either. And he’s right. This is the place for an elite organization that trains the 1% of Unveiled in battle and espionage; the EXternal Organizational Division of Unveiled Services. EXODUS is not exactly supposed to be "fun".

When the world has started to have humans with powers, it has given them the name Unveiled. Because they are the people who are unveiled from centuries long evolution, back to the ancestral DNA who had supernatural abilities. These are the people who have regressed back in evolution.

Hence why not everyone likes them. And since they only comprise about 5% of the population, they are often treated as outcasts. EXODUS is every Unveiled child’s dream. A place only for them, and only for the strong, who can help the world and be revered instead of hated.

Unfortunately, not everyone can make it in, and not everyone who makes it in can deal with the lifestyle.

Baekhyun laughs, “Yes, well, any place can be fun if you try hard enough.”

Kyungsoo just gives him a blank stare, making Baekhyun awkwardly laugh again. “It’s rare to see someone transfer in this late. Any particular reason?”

“Not really. I was privately trained and felt ready enough to join the organization.”

Baekhyun ignores the pang of ache in his heart, now resigning to the theory that it’s his soulmate.

“Private training? Wow that’s so cool! Did you train with someone famous? Does that mean you have an Unveiled in your family apart from you?” he couldn’t help but ask, excitement leaking in his voice.

Kyungsoo clears his throat. “Could you let me dress?”

Baekhyun turns red, realizing he’s been chatting with a man who’s been bare chested all this while. Unable to help his eyes dashing downwards to his body, Baekhyun blushes harder to see Kyungsoo adorning a well-defined body.

“Ye-yes, of course! Sorry about that!” he stammers and leaves immediately, not sparing a second glance at his new roommate.

“You attacked your roommate, ogled at his naked body, _and_ destroyed his room all in one night?!” Jongdae’s cackles are loud and shrill through the phone.

Baekhyun groans in protest. “He destroyed his room himself! Besides, I went back to help him, but it was spotless! I guess he put it all back.”

“You haven’t disagreed with the other two though!”

Baekhyun turns around in the bed, now lying on his front. “I was startled! Besides, I only used light to make myself super bright! It’s not like I attacked him! It was he who reacted abnormally if you ask me.”

He could almost hear Jongdae shaking his head. “But that’s an insane power. I wonder what exactly it is.”

“I would think it’s an elemental power. He seemed to be able to manipulate the earth,” Baekhyun says, thinking back to the earthquake and earth pillars.

“Another elemental huh! Especially someone with one of the main four. This is going to be interesting. Aren’t you glad you got a new roommate?” Jongdae teases.

Baekhyun chuckles, “Well, I suppose I don’t hate his power. I wonder what a battle with him would be like.”

“If I’m going to be here often, I have to tell you, white is not a good look for me,” Baekhyun says teasingly as he looks around the plain white walls, nose scrunching in distaste.

Yixing barely glances at him, getting a monitor closer to the man sitting with his legs dangling on the patient chair. “You don’t _have_ to be here,” he turns the monitor to face Baekhyun, “Now, see this? That’s your heart. In perfect condition. I could show this to the head doctor, but I assure you, Baekhyun… he’s gonna say the same.”

Baekhyun’s face lights up for a fraction of a second before masking it with a neutral expression. “So, are you saying the only possible reason for this constant pain is my soulmate?”

“I’m saying that’s the most probable reason. I will keep monitoring your condition as your doctor. But as your friend, I suggest you start looking for your soulmate,” Yixing smiles at him in encouragement.

Baekhyun can’t help his racing heart. He is unsure if he can really let himself be hopeful again. But hearing a doctor say that the most possible explanation is a soulmate, he doesn’t want to ignore it.

Waving a goodbye to his friend/doctor, Baekhyun heads to the training ground.

“My name is Do Kyungsoo. I am an earth manipulator with an affinity to strength,” is all Kyungsoo says when he’s asked to introduce himself before the other Unveiled trainees. Baekhyun couldn’t help but snicker in amusement at his curt introduction, making Kyungsoo glance at him sharply.

He clears his throat, pretending he didn’t just laugh at his new roommate.

“Alright, let’s begin today’s exercise…” the trainer starts his instructions when Myungchul, a metal manipulator, interrupts. “Come on Mr. Siwon, you can’t just let him come in and not prove his abilities. If he transferred here at this point, he must be really good. Let us duel.”

Baekhyun’s eyes widen, while Jongdae mutters “This can’t be good,” under his breath.

Kyungsoo may have a very strong power, but Myungchul is also an extremely strong Unveiled. His power is also a contrast to Kyungsoo’s and Baekhyun is sure metal is stronger than earth. Not to mention the smirking man is known to be sadistic.

Instantly walking to Kyungsoo, he pulls at the latter’s hand to draw attention, making him yank his hand off.

Baekhyun doesn’t let his surprise last long, removing his hands but leaning in. “Kyungsoo, don’t agree to this duel. Myungchul is strong and ruthless.”

Jongdae nods, “Yeah man, he even got into trouble for excessive violence. IN AN UNVEILED ACADEMY!”

Kyungsoo looks at them both, cocking his head a little to the side. “So?”

He walks to the trainer, agreeing to the duel, leaving two wide mouthed friends frozen to the ground.

Baekhyun scoffs, “He’s overconfident.”

Jongdae smiles, looking at the two duel contestants getting ready. “I don’t know Baek… he’s kinda hot.”

Baekhyun hits his best friend, making him yelp, but doesn’t disagree.

“Alright, Do Kyungsoo has agreed to the duel challenge by Kim Myungchul. The rules are the same, your duel will be in a proxy battleground where you are free to use your power as you wish. When one surrenders or is unable to proceed further, the match ends. And lastly, don’t kill your opponent.” As soon as Siwon finishes talking, the ground both Kyungsoo and Myungchul are standing on starts rising just less than an inch. There also appears a transparent force field around the arena.

Baekhyun has seen this scene many times. The proxy arena is used so the actual ground isn’t damaged. The force fields help reduce the destruction to the surroundings.

Myungchul has his customized protective gear, with his reverse force suit which absorbs and transforms any hits into pure offensive energy. He is also equipped with 2 metal swords on his back.

Kyungsoo hadn’t had time to get his customized suit yet and is only adorning the general strong-suit for defense. It’s not much, but Baekhyun hopes it’s enough.

Myungchul attacks first. He sends out bursts of metal rods from his hands at high speed. Kyungsoo doesn’t react extensively, easily avoiding them. Myungchul then pulls metal from the ground, making them pool around Kyungsoo’s legs.

Baekhyun watches, eyebrows furrowed and jaw clenched. He sees Kyungsoo smirk just a little, for just a microsecond.

Kyungsoo just stomps his foot, bringing the metal covering his legs with him and displacing them immediately. Myungchul’s face can rival a bug with his eyes bulging and mouth agape.

Kyungsoo immediately lifts his hand in an upward swish, making a hole under his opponent’s feet and letting him sink, torso deep. The ground cracks into parts, coming together as a chain to hold him in place underground. Struggling doesn’t do any good to Myungchul as he screams in anger and shame.

Kyungsoo slowly walks towards the man, “I may not be able to fully control metals, but metals are after all, a byproduct of earth. As long as I can manipulate them just a little, it’s not hard to make them let me go even if I can’t make them attack someone.”

The whole crowd is dead silent for a few booming seconds. Then, everyone starts exclaiming all at once, some cheering Kyungsoo for humiliating the cruel Myungchul.

Baekhyun can’t help but laugh as Kyungsoo approaches Jongdae and him. “I cannot believe you defeated Myungchul in less than 5 minutes! He didn’t even have the chance to use his swords or his fancy suit!”

Jongdae nods enthusiastically, “That was so cool! Where did you learn how to do that?!”

Kyungsoo doesn’t smile. “My mother.”

Baekhyun feels a pang of… something in his heart. Ignoring it, he smiles at Kyungsoo. “Wow! That’s incredible! Is she an EXODUS Unveiled?”

Kyungsoo turns away, not answering them and follows the now moving crowd to their actual training exercise. Baekhyun’s smile falls, but he shrugs it off, attributing the lack of response to his seemingly quiet nature.

  
It’s been almost a week and Baekhyun still can’t figure his roommate out. He’s curt, stoic, not very friendly, and never smiles. He can almost believe Kyungsoo is a droid, what with his refusal to talk about anything personal. The man doesn’t even have a favourite color! The only time he seems somewhat human is when he cooks and offers to share. 

He remembers when he found the man first using their kitchen.

_”What are you doing?” he asks one Sunday morning when he comes out of his room for some cereal.”_

_“I’m cooking. Would you like some breakfast?” Kyungsoo asks in turn as he finishes mixing some sort of batter._

_“Cooking? No one cooks here… we have a cafeteria for our meals…”_

_“I know”, he says before looking up, “would you still like some pancakes?”_

And Baekhyun has to admit, despite his impassive demeanor, that man is a great cook! Baekhyun had never had such good pancakes before.

Watching Kyungsoo in training is fascinating. He is strong, without a doubt, but he is also smart. He always keeps his opponents at a distance, never letting them get to close combat.

The other trainees, gleeful that they found his weakness, are now trying to trick him into a close combat in a 1 vs 5 practice. Baekhyun watches, breath in his hands as he silently cheers for his roommate.

Kyungsoo does end up getting into close combat; after all, there are five of them and one of him. But surprisingly, he is skillful, resolute, and agile. His pure strength alone proves to be a big obstacle for them, even without mixing in his powers.

Most of the fight goes by without Kyungsoo even using his earth manipulation, but there is a water manipulator in the group. He surrounds Kyungsoo with twirling water, almost covering him whole.

It seems like Kyungsoo is taken by surprise initially but comes around within seconds. Baekhyun can’t see him through the water anymore, and then slowly, he sees some brown substance taking over the whirlpool, seemingly crawling onto the water. Baekhyun realizes then that it is soil.

Someone in the audience shouts, “Look at the ground around him! It’s all going into the whirlpool!”

Jongdae laughs in mirth, “That smart bastard! He actually used soil absorption against the water!”

Baekhyun shakes his head. “No, he liquified the soil around him first, making it able to surround the whirlpool and then solidified the soil. I believe he then liquified it again using the whirlpool water as the agent, making him able to-“

Kyungsoo flicks his wrist, making the soil-water fall to the ground.

“-control the water,” he finishes, a small smile of admiration on his face.

Jongdae whistles. “That is one of the coolest things I've ever seen. That's coming from me, and I've seen your mirage attack in training!”

Baekhyun nods in agreement: it does look cool. Kyungsoo wins after a few more seconds of fighting and the five members of the opponent group are taken to the infirmary to tend to their injuries.

Kyungsoo walks towards Jongdae and him, and Baekhyun is pleased to see his roommate warming up to them.

“Nice match - didn’t expect you to re-liquify the earth using his water,” Baekhyun praises him.

Kyungsoo looks at him in surprise, “I’m amazed you could figure that out from just that.”

“Ha-ha… I can get lucky,” Baekhyun laughs, scratching his forehead bashfully.

Kyungsoo doesn’t look like he agrees but doesn’t argue.

Kyungsoo refuses to go to the infirmary for his minor injuries, so they had no choice but to let him be. Well, he doesn’t really need treatment if you ask Baekhyun. He seems pretty untouched, except for a scratch or two.

  
It’s the same anxious feeling again, the tightness in his chest, the suffocation, and the sharp pain, intertwined until there’s no telling them apart. He’s felt it before. Before coming to EXODUS. Before getting adopted.

It’s not his pain this time. This is more… distant, but it wakes him up in the middle of the night.

Baekhyun sighs, feelings mixed with both hope to find his soulmate and worry for them. He wants to find them, but he’s in an Unveiled training unit and they could be anywhere in the world. There’s no logical reasoning behind even trying to find them with just his ‘feelings’.

Unable to go back to sleep, he opts to make himself some chamomile tea.

As he walks into the kitchen, he sees the outdoor kitchen door wide open. It’s a windy night, and the strong drafts are causing the doors to flap slightly. Baekhyun walks to the door, curious more than wary. He isn’t surprised to find Kyungsoo outside. What’s more surprising is the way the latter sits on the grass in the middle of the vast field.

He’s just… sitting there. Cross-legged, hands on his lap and head in his hands. Despite it being weird, Baekhyun can’t take his eyes off the scene. A few seconds later, he sees the grass rapidly growing around Kyungsoo. They crawl and intertwine with Kyungsoo’s sitting body, making another dome-like structure like the one he had seen in the younger’s previous match. Baekhyun isn’t sure what he should do, whether he should interrupt or not because he isn’t sure if this is some sort of ritual Kyungsoo does.

Once the earth manipulator is completely covered with plants, Baekhyun dares to move closer to him. When he’s walking, he steps on a dried stick and there’s a loud crunch, and he immediately stops in his steps. The plant dome suddenly retreats in a blink of an eye and he sees Kyungsoo already standing in a defensive position, hands in a fighting stance.

“It’s just me, Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun says, eyes widening and hands held up in a peace stance.

Kyungsoo relaxes once he recognizes who it is. He frowns, “What are you doing?”

“I couldn’t sleep so I came out to get some tea when I saw the doors open so I came to check it out.”

“I’m just… practicing,” Kyungsoo’s jaw is clenched, eyes drifting away from Baekhyun’s.

“Right...” Baekhyun stares at him for a couple of seconds, “do you like chamomile tea?”

It’s been yet another week since Baekhyun and Kyungsoo shared tea in the middle of the night. Baekhyun didn’t ask about why Kyungsoo was ‘practicing’ at that hour, and Kyungsoo didn’t ask why Baekhyun couldn’t sleep.

It’s become somewhat of a habit for them since then. It’s always Kyungsoo who’s up first though. Baekhyun reluctantly has to join because he’s woken up everyday by his soulmate. The pain has become stronger lately, and yet, Baekhyun is glad to have Kyungsoo for company because the ache always reduces after their little tea sessions.

“I don’t know Jongdae, I have a bad feeling about this. My soulmate seems to feel more and more anxious lately. And if I can feel it that strongly, I cannot begin to imagine how bad they feel,” Baekhyun’s forehead is wrinkled in worry as he runs next to a panting Jongdae.

“Well,” Jongdae takes a few seconds to breathe in air, “unfortunately you didn’t receive any matches on the soulmate finder. But you could try again.”

Baekhyun shakes his head, slowing down his pace so his friend can take a breather. “The soulmate finder only finds soulmates if both submit their DNA. I don’t think they would suddenly submit it if they haven’t done so after all these years.”

Jongdae gives him an apologetic look. “I’m sorry man, I wish I could help.”

Baekhyun just smiles at his friend, nodding before, “You need to stop slacking off at your physical fitness exercises!”

Jongdae gives him a scowl, “You just over do it!”

“Today we will be having private combats, each in a different combat room. I’ll read the list of opponents one by one,” their trainer says as he brings a holographic tablet to his hands. He starts reading off the list and Baekhyun observes the pairings attentively, wishing he could see their matches. “Baekhyun and Kyungsoo,” his trainer’s announcement brings him back to the moment and he stares at Kyungsoo, surprised.

Kyungsoo however, doesn’t seem affected as he nods and gets ready to head into their assigned combat room.

“This is gonna be interesting,” Jongdae remarks, eyes glinting as he smirks. Baekhyun rolls his eyes at his friend, but not disagreeing.

Yes, he is excited to face Kyungsoo. He is arguably the strongest among the trainees, save for a few handfuls that have yet to face him. He’s been wanting to see how he fares against the mysterious new trainee ever since he saw his first match.

He follows Kyungsoo to the combat room, shouting good luck to Jongdae with a thumbs up sign thrown towards him.

The combat room is familiar to him, but to Kyungsoo, it is the first time he sees it. The walls are all one-way see-through glass. This is to ensure that the participants have the option to use the glass to their advantage but also get the privacy they’d need for their matches.

These rooms are also ten times stronger than their training grounds. Baekhyun loves fighting in them. It gives him a little more control over how he can use his power.

Kyungsoo looks around the room carefully, taking in every little detail without a word. He then turns to Baekhyun, who smiles at him. Kyungsoo just nods a little in acknowledgement.

“Alright guys, the rules of the match are simple. As usual, defeat your opponent using whatever method you can come up with. Just make sure they aren’t dead or permanently injured,” their trainer’s voice fills the room from an invisible speaker. “Go!”

Kyungsoo attacks first – bringing the ground up in pillars near Baekhyun, but Baekhyun has already seen this and avoids them with ease. He then spreads his hands to his sides, gathering the light around them and turning it into a tangible form. The light is now enveloped around his hands and fingers in a rope-like form, ready for attacks.

Kyungsoo, however, immediately forms an armour out of the earth when he sees Baekhyun attacking with the light ropes. While Baekhyun is attacking with the ropes still, Kyungsoo starts an earthquake, making the ground only below Baekhyun move. With his footing lost, Baekhyun has to let go of his light ropes, grumbling.

Kyungsoo then starts to attack Baekhyun with mini earth balls, making Baekhyun invoke a light shield around him. Once Kyungsoo realizes that his normal earth attacks don’t work, he pauses a little, a new look of respect on his face.

Baekhyun feels pleased at this, but he doesn’t waste time, instantly summoning light bolts to throw at Kyungsoo. But it doesn’t work. His earth armour is stronger than the light bolts’ offensive power.

Baekhyun suddenly feels the ground below him softening, slowly making him sink along with his light shield. Alarmed, Baekhyun immediately closes his eyes, focusing his energy on Kyungsoo.

Darkness suddenly cloaks the room, making Kyungsoo falter in his attack. Baekhyun stops sinking and he can concentrate better now.

The room is suddenly lit up again but this time, there’s two more people along with them. Baekhyun looks at them, and if he may say so himself, he is pleased at the outcome.

He slowly gets out of the sinkhole, huffing a little as he pulls himself up. When he looks towards where Kyungsoo is, he is surprised to find the latter frozen in shock.

He doesn’t know why his roommate looks scared seeing the illusion of his parents. Baekhyun remembered seeing a family photo the first day he met Kyungsoo. It had been lying in the open bag waiting to be unpacked. Baekhyun doesn’t know Kyungsoo’s fears and even if he did, he doesn’t like using people’s fears against them if he can help it. So, he had released an illusion of Kyungsoo’s parents to calm him down and make him hesitate while Baekhyun came up with another attack.

But Kyungsoo just looks petrified, all pale and seemingly in shock. Before he can ask, Kyungsoo starts gasping for his breath. His armour crumbles and falls to the ground, making Baekhyun realize something is very wrong.

“How-how?” Kyungsoo asks the two smiling illusions, barely getting the words out between his gasps. He’s shaking, hardly able to stand straight through his now teary eyes.

Baekhyun suddenly starts feeling like his heart is being poked with a hundred pins and needles. Suffocation makes him feel like he’s choking, and he falls to the ground, hands beating his twisting heart. The chest pain only gets worse as he tries to take a look at Kyungsoo through his pain.

His loss of control on the illusion makes the two forms disappear and Baekhyun suddenly feels like crying, overwhelmed with anger and sadness.

“No!” he hears Kyungsoo cry, his hand raised as if to catch the illusions. Baekhyun’s confusion and shock fades away as he starts to see things clearly now.

“Kyungsoo!” he slowly makes his way to the man having a panic attack on the ground, “look at me, please look at me! I’m sorry for the illusion but it’s just an illusion!”

Baekhyun holds Kyungsoo’s face in his hands, forcing him to look at him. “I need you to focus on my face, okay? Breathe with me, 1… 2… 3…”

It takes a few seconds but Kyungsoo calms down a little, eyes somewhat clearing off the daze he was in. Just then, the door to the room opens, with Yixing and Siwon rushes in to help them.

“What happened? Is he alright?” Yixing asks Baekhyun as he checks Kyungsoo’s eyes.

“He had a panic attack… in reaction to my illusion attack,” Baekhyun admits dismally, the guilt setting in.

Yixing makes sure Kyungsoo is fine and gives him a sedative to make sure he doesn’t accidentally set off his power. Siwon offers to carry him to the infirmary and leaves with Kyungsoo in hand.

Yixing then turns to Baekhyun, “What happened? You are not the type to use such drastic attacks.”

Baekhyun bites his lip, “I didn’t know… I thought the illusion would just surprise him enough for me to recover from his attack. I really didn’t know. But Yixing…”

Yixing waits for Baekhyun to continue.

“I think he’s my soulmate.”

“How is Kyungsoo now?” Jongdae asks Baekhyun as they eat their personalized calorie meal. Baekhyun sighs into his chicken wrap, taking a few seconds to finish chewing before he answers.

“He’s fine, as good as new. He’s been practicing more now… like it wasn’t enough before.”

Jongdae nods, looking pointedly at his friend. “So, does he know? That you’re soulmates?”

“I don’t think so. And I don’t know how to tell him. It doesn’t even feel real to _me_ ,” Baekhyun says forlornly as he stares at his chicken wrap.

“What do you mean?”

“Well… I always felt something different about him, but I chalked it up to him being mysterious and intense. Now that I know the real reason, I feel apprehensive since he seems so… closed off,” Baekhyun admits.

Jongdae hums thoughtfully. “How sure are you that you’re soulmates?”

“I literally felt his panic attack right at the moment Jongdae… how sure can I be?”

“Wow… imagine finding out your soulmate exists after about a decade and he turns out to be your roommate,” Jongdae chuckles, shaking his head.

Baekhyun rolls his eyes, “Yes, the humor isn’t lost on me, but I need to talk to him. I also need to apologize regarding the illusion.”

“Did you tell your parents?” Jongdae asks.

Baekhyun shakes his head. “Not yet, I want to talk to Kyungsoo first and then tell them.”

“They’re going to be ecstatic!”

“I know. They didn’t care that I didn’t have a soulmate when they were adopting me, but I saw that they were sad about it. And it was the first time someone was sad _for_ me,” Baekhyun reminisces.

“Kyungsoo!” Baekhyun calls as he sees his roommate just about to head into his room. “Would you care for some tea?”

Kyungsoo contemplates for a few seconds before agreeing. They both sit at their dining table, tea and some snacks in front of them.

“What tea is this?” Kyungsoo asks as he lifts the clear glass cup filled with hot blue water.

“It’s butterfly pea flower tea! Jongdae got it from his aunt who’s obsessed with all kinds of tea. Pretty isn’t it?” Baekhyun answers, smiling at the tea in his cup.

Kyungsoo nods, tasting it. “It’s not bad.”

Baekhyun’s grin widens and then turns somber. “I just wanted to apologize for the last battle. I did not mean for it to get as intense as it did.”

Kyungsoo looks at Baekhyun, shakes his head just a little. “You have nothing to apologize for. It was a battle and you are right to use whatever trick you can to win it. But… how did you cause the illusion of my… parents?”

Baekhyun bites his lips, hesitating before finally answering, “I saw a picture in your bag when you first moved in. I just thought the attack would surprise you enough to distract you.”

Kyungsoo nods.

“Can… can I know why it triggered a panic attack?” Baekhyun asks carefully.

Kyungsoo doesn’t answer for a while, and just as Baekhyun is about to tell him he doesn’t have to answer, he says, “I don’t have parents anymore.”

Baekhyun’s eyes widen, “Oh! I’m sorry! I didn’t know…”

“Thanks.”

“Your mother was beautiful,” Baekhyun says. He suddenly feels anger in him, surprising him as he stares at Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo’s expression doesn’t change much. Most wouldn’t notice the tightening of his jaw and the slight lowering of his eyebrows.

“My parents died when I was very young,” Baekhyun says when Kyungsoo doesn’t respond. “I grew up in an orphanage until I was 16.”

Kyungsoo looks at him in surprise. “I’m sorry.”

Shaking his head, he continues, “I didn’t know them enough to mourn them. And I’m glad I met my adopted parents. They are very good to me.”

Kyungsoo smiles just a little, making Baekhyun marvel at his completely different vibe. Kyungsoo looks almost cute when he smiles.

“Do you wanna train together?” Baekhyun asks, smiling back.

“So, you haven’t told him about being soulmates and instead decided to have scheduled fights? What is wrong with you?” Jongdae exclaims, hitting his friend on his head.

“Ouch! I just couldn’t say it when he’s obviously still disturbed by it. I don’t want to complicate his emotions further. I already feel his emotions and they aren’t very fun.”

Jongdae sighs in resignation, “Well, at least you can spend time with him… even if it’s to fight.”

Baekhyun nods enthusiastically, “We are going to try battling everyday after our personalized training regimes.”

“Try to find out which way Kyungsoo swings. You may be gay but it’s possible your soulmate isn’t. After all, platonic soulmates exist,” Jongdae says.

“Oh yeah…” Baekhyun trails off. He cannot deny that he’s attracted to Kyungsoo. After all, the man is cute, hot, and just his type. They may not have become the best of friends but Baekhyun likes to think he’s the closest to Kyungsoo in the academy.

He has to admit that he had a crush on his roommate even before he knew they were soulmates, but Baekhyun hadn’t bothered paying attention to it since he just assumed it’s a passing crush. He can’t help but be a little excited about spending time with Kyungsoo. Someone made just for him, who would love him unconditionally – it seems like a dream come true.

Once he came to know they were soulmates, every interaction with Kyungsoo is heart-fluttering - which is unfortunate as he doesn’t want Kyungsoo to feel his emotions.

“I’ll try to find out,” Baekhyun finally answers Jongdae.

The first time they train together, Baekhyun ends up being half an hour late, stuck in an invisible loop after failing to come back to visibility. He is still invisible, giving up on it and rushing to his schedule.

He finds Kyungsoo in the field they reserved, sitting down on the ground with a hand on the bare soil. His eyes are closed, and it seems like he’s talking to the ground, with his slight nodding and tiny smiles.

“You’re late,” he says without opening his eyes or turning around. Baekhyun, startled, jumps a little.

“How did you know I was here? I’m still invisible!” Baekhyun exclaims.

Kyungsoo opens his eyes, turning around and eyes landing straight to his face. “The earth told me.”

Baekhyun’s mouth is wide open, though the former cannot see. “You can really talk to the earth!? Isn’t that like a level 5 skill?”

Kyungsoo gets up from his sitting position. “I’ve had… training.”

“Wow okay,” Baekhyun gives Kyungsoo a sheepish look, remembering he’s late. “I’m sorry I’m late. As you can see, I’m stuck in invisibility from my training.”

“It’s fine. This might be a good practice for me.”

Baekhyun smirks, “Oh yeah? Are you ready then?”

“Are you?” Kyungsoo vanishes into the earth immediately.

Baekhyun looks around, waiting for Kyungsoo to pop up somewhere when he feels someone behind him.

“You know your invisibility doesn’t work on me as long as you’re touching the ground,” Kyungsoo says right in his left ear, making Baekhyun releasing a light blast in that way.

Kyungsoo easily dodges it, escaping into the earth again. Baekhyun curses, realizing why Kyungsoo insisted on their first match being held on an outdoor field.

The more Kyungsoo is in contact with the ground, the better his powers are. This is a pickle.

“Alright, I give this round to you, but next time we’re fighting in the morning,” Baekhyun pants as he is given a hand to get up from the floor. “The evening sun isn’t as helpful as your constant contact with the earth.”

Kyungsoo laughs, making Baekhyun stare and smile. “Deal. But this only makes us even now. After all, you won our first match.”

Baekhyun chuckles, “Oh, we’re keeping score, are we? You’re on!”

They make their way towards their shared house, chatting casually. Well, it's mostly Baekhyun chatting and Kyungsoo listening.

When they reach their house, Baekhyun calls Kyungsoo just as he’s about to go into his room for a shower. “Hey Kyungsoo?”

The latter turns around, “Yeah?”

“Want to watch a movie?”

Kyungsoo looks surprised but smiles and nods. “Only if there’s popcorn.”

And that’s how they end up spending the night, Baekhyun shouting at the screen in frustration over the characters being stupid, and Kyungsoo smiling to himself in amusement over the running commentary from Baekhyun. 

Baekhyun jostles awake as he finds himself doubled in pain, eventually hearing whimpers and groans from outside his room. He rushes towards the sounds, to Kyungsoo’s room only to find him tossing around on his bed. He immediately tries to lift Kyungsoo’s arms into a vertical position, trying to get him to wake up, but in avail. “Kyungsoo! Wake up, it’s just a dream!”

The ground suddenly starts to shake slightly, making Baekhyun widen his eyes. Kyungsoo is letting his power run awry in his sleep. “Kyungsoo!” he slaps him now, effectively waking the other up.

“What happened?” Kyungsoo asks in his confused state, looking around at the shaken room and Baekhyun.

Sighing in relief, Baekhyun sits down on Kyungsoo’s bed, at the end of his feet. “I just lost 10 years of my life thinking you’re gonna crash this whole house.”

“Did – did I do this?”

Baekhyun looks at Kyungsoo’s wide eyes, staring at him in surprise and he wonders why he never noticed how innocent he actually looks. “You had a nightmare,” he answers simply.

This reminds him of the time when Jongdae was woken up by his soulmate's pain. Is this how his best friend felt? Worried and helpless in the middle of the night? He feels bad now.

Kyungsoo remains quiet, probably remembering his nightmare. “Do you wanna talk about it?” Baekhyun asks, hand resting on Kyungsoo’s as they both remain on the bed.

Kyungsoo shakes his head. “No, I’m fine, just a random bad dream.”

Baekhyun looks at him disbelievingly but doesn’t object. “Movie?” he asks at last, wanting to do something for him.

The movie is horrible, but Kyungsoo doesn’t complain.

“Could you not make me support your 60 kgs?” Kyungsoo deadpans as Baekhyun accidentally leans on his side, too engrossed in the rom-com.

Blushing immediately, Baekhyun sits straight, “How do you even know my weight? Are you a stalker?”

“I don’t need to be a stalker to guess your weight,” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes.

As their 3rd movie comes to an end and Baekhyun’s slowly falling asleep, he hears a soft “Thank you, Baekhyun.”

When he wakes up the next morning, he finds himself on the couch, lying with a blanket covering him. He recollects the previous night’s scenes and turns red when he remembers Kyungsoo thanking him.  
Baekhyun doesn’t remember the last time Kyungsoo actually called him by name. And even if it’s a hazy memory, Baekhyun still feels giddy hearing his name.

Suddenly, he remembers his training and looks at his watch, horror taking over his face at once when he sees it's mid afternoon and he’s missed half the days training.

Kyungsoo isn’t anywhere to be found and Baekhyun curses as he rushes to his next training schedule.

When he arrives, he finds Kyungsoo paying little attention to Jongdae’s incessant chatter as they wait for their turn in the common training room.

“Kyungsoo! Why didn’t you wake me up?” he hisses as he reaches them. He doesn’t hide his disappointment. “I can’t believe you let me sleep till now when you could’ve just woken me up!”

Jongdae stops him before he can say anything, “He told your trainers that you were sore from individual sessions yesterday so you’re not in trouble, Baek.”

Baekhyun stops, blinking. “What?”

“I thought you’d prefer some sleep and you only stayed up because of me, so I found your trainers and told them so. Should- should I have not done that?” Kyungsoo asks, hesitant now with Baekhyun’s anger.

“Wha- no! Kyungsoo you didn’t have to do that but I’m grateful! Sorry, I just thought I missed my sessions and am in trouble, so I didn’t let you explain.”

“It’s no trouble. Like I said, it’s my fault you were up so late.”

Jongdae turns to both of them, wiggling his eyebrows. “So… what were you doing up so late together huh? It can’t be just movies.”

Baekhyun hits him on the shoulder, “Shut up Dae, we just watched movies because we couldn’t sleep.”

“Do you guys wanna go get some food at the cafeteria together?” Baekhyun continues, feeling his stomach growl.

“I can’t. I have to meet one of my trainers,” Kyungsoo says, turning away.

Baekhyun nods, disappointed.

Once their session is complete, Jongdae comments as they wave Kyungsoo bye on their way to the cafeteria. “Don’t you think it’s weird?”

“What’s weird?”

“Kyungsoo always disappears during lunch time. What does he do and when does he eat? And why didn’t you feel anything from him for all these years? He doesn’t seem to have been in any coma.”

“It’s not like you to be so skeptical. Are you jealous I might be closer to him than you?” Baekhyun teases but glances in the direction Kyungsoo just left.

Baekhyun knows he should tell Kyungsoo about them being soulmates. But he cannot bring himself to do so yet. There just never seems to be the right time. They spend more time together, and he doesn’t want to ruin those moments by bringing it up.

But he does try to broach the subject.

“Did I tell you how my parents found each other?” Baekhyun says to Kyungsoo in one of their midnight tea sessions.

Kyungsoo shakes his head.

“There were neighbors and best friends. Dad once fought with my mom and she started crying. That made dad realize she’s his soulmate,” he finishes with a smile.

Kyungsoo just nods, prompting Baekhyun to continue. “Isn’t it amazing how soulmates can feel our emotions?”

“Not really. It’s invading.”

Baekhyun’s brows raise in surprise. “But it’s beautiful that we can understand each other’s emotions.”

“What’s the point of that? Most times it’s unnecessary and leaves no room to actually try to understand them by our own efforts,” Kyungsoo says firmly.

“Do – do you not like soulmates?” Baekhyun asks, nervous to hear the answer.

Kyungsoo shrugs, “I think they are overrated.’

Trying to cover his hurt face, Baekhyun smiles, “Come on, you should have seen your parents being happy. Why are you so against them?”

Some sort of heaviness starts to develop in his heart, making Baekhyun realize it must be a painful subject for Kyungsoo. But he wanted to get him to open up, if he can help it.

“You don’t have to answer this… but when did your parents pass away?” Baekhyun asks when Kyungsoo doesn’t reply.

“My dad passed away a few months ago,” Kyungsoo answers, face or voice not giving away anything.

“Oh, I’m sorry… I didn’t know it was that recent,” Baekhyun says, feeling more guilty for the illusion attack. “Did your mom pass away before him?”

Kyungsoo stays silent for a few loud seconds.

“No, she’s not dead.”

Baekhyun furrows his eyebrows in confusion. “I thought you said you don’t have parents?”

“I don’t talk to her,” Kyungsoo says, lips in a thin line.

Baekhyun lets that sink in and can’t help but feel bitter. “What? You have a mom but you don’t talk to her?”

Kyungsoo doesn’t answer but looks at Baekhyun in curiosity.

“Why?” Baekhyun asks, trying to keep his calm.

Kyungsoo shrugs, “I just don’t want to.”

Baekhyun feels hot with anger. The anger he feels and something else Kyungsoo feels, all are mixed, and he cannot make out which emotions are his anymore. “What is wrong with you?!”

Kyungsoo looks shocked at his shouting, while also touching his heart.

Baekhyun doesn’t care if Kyungsoo gets to know that they are soulmates anymore.

“I never had a mom until I was almost grown out of the system. Do you know how horrible it feels to have no one? I lied on my bed every day for 16 years hoping… wishing for someone! I would’ve killed to have a mom and here you are, not talking to yours?”

Baekhyun couldn’t stop once he had started.

“You don’t know how precious someone is until you lose them! And you might have already caught on but congratulations! You found the soulmate you didn’t want! It’s fucking me! I’m sorry for being your soulmate when you don’t even believe in them! And I’m sorry for possibly causing you unwanted distress with my ‘emotions’ all these years!”

Kyungsoo looks speechless as he listens to Baekhyun’s outburst.

“And do you _know_ how fucking devastating it is to grow up thinking you don’t even have a soulmate, let alone family? I fucking believed I was destined to be all alone all my life. So, it pisses me off that you have a mom AND a soulmate, but you don’t wanna have anything to do with either!” Baekhyun finishes, breathless from his rant.

Before Kyungsoo can say anything, Baekhyun gets up and storms into his room, closing the door with a bang.

He stands against the door in his room, blood still running with adrenaline from his outburst. The anger in him starts to leak from his eyes and he rubs them away furiously, trying to calm himself. Once he cools down a little, he starts to recognize other emotions in him – guilt, sadness, disappointment?

He regrets going off on Kyungsoo but is too exhausted from it to think about anything. He heads to bed hoping to get some sleep, but instead, lies awake staring at the ceiling, feeling his soulmate’s fear. For what? He has no idea.

“Baekhyun...” Kyungsoo starts, just as Baekhyun comes out of his room. He looks like he had been waiting all night, without sleep.

Baekhyun doesn’t feel guilty. He doesn’t. He shouldn’t.

“Baekhyun, please…” Kyungsoo tries to stop him as Baekhyun pretends to ignore him.

“What, Kyungsoo? What do you want now?” Baekhyun snaps at his soulmate.

“Can we talk? Please?” Kyungsoo asks weakly. “Just for a while.”

“I have a physical check today. It lasts all day.”

Baekhyun ignores Kyungsoo’s disappointed and sad pang in his heart. He cannot deal with this now. He cannot look at Kyungsoo and feel all the wrong emotions when he’s supposed to feel anger.

He heads to the medical building, his mind already made up to listen to Kyungsoo in the evening. He knows he’s being unreasonable. He shouldn’t be judging without hearing his side but he just… can’t help being angry when Kyungsoo has everything he ever wanted, and he rejects them.

The checks are nothing special. They are mandatory and familiar. Once he’s done with all the general body checks, he heads towards an older, less crowded building. Power checks are spread across different buildings according to the nature of the power.

Light manipulation is a rare power in the Unveiled academy. There is no specific place for it so he has to go to the old building that not many use. It used to be the main building when the academy was initially found to check the Unveiled’s powers. As the powers became more common, associated buildings were allotted to the variations.

Now, only rare powered people are arranged to take their checks in this building. Baekhyun is thankful for his rare power at this time because he really needs the quiet. Most of the checks are automated and so he only needed to enter his details to get them started.

Just when he’s done with most of them and is on his way to the next room, he suddenly feels something crawling up his ankle, trapping him in place.

Instinctively, he tries to stomp his feet to get rid of it, but his leg seems to be held in place firmly. He looks down to find a metal hand holding him from the floor. Glancing around for the culprit, he finally finds a shadow behind one of the rooms he just passed by.

“Who is it?” He asks, mentally calculating the risk of someone dangerous being here. There had been less than 10 people he had seen in the building so there shouldn’t be much danger to anyone.

A shrill laugh echoes off the empty passageway, “Me? How sad… he didn’t even tell you about me.”

Baekhyun gets impatient with the dramatic antics of the female attacker and quickly sends a light ball to illuminate the area she’s hiding in.

“Oh! You want to see me so badly? You could’ve just said so my dear…”

Baekhyun finally sees the woman, dressed in all black and a smile so creepy he could feel the hair on his back stand. She looks like she’s in her late 30’s or early 40’s.

“Who are you? What do you want?”

The woman laughs again, “Oh, I suppose it’s rude of me not to introduce myself. Hello, Baekhyun… I’m your soulmate’s mother.”

Baekhyun does a double-take, speechless at her words. “What?”

Do Kyung-Mi in the picture Baekhyun saw looked like a kind mother and wife. The woman standing in front of him looks like she could kill him instantly if he’s not on his guard.

“You know… I only came here for my son but imagine my delighted surprise when I heard you revealing that you are his soulmate!” She walks closer to the speechless Baekhyun, “For the record, I agree with you… he’s so ungrateful to his own mother.”

“What are you doing here? Why do you attack me?” Baekhyun can’t hide his confusion as he asks her.

“Oh Baekhyun… of course I need to attack you. But let’s go back to your house, shall we? I need Kyungsoo to be there.”

“There for what?”

Baekhyun’s question is only met with a chuckle as the death grip on his ankle is released but his wrists are instantly wrapped in metal cuffs. The cuffs aren’t attached to each other though, allowing him to move his hands freely. But when he tries to move, the metal starts tightening.

“Don’t try to escape or attack… you don’t want to harm anyone else, do you?” Kyung-Mi says as she looks behind to an academy crew member approaching.

Baekhyun forces himself to smile at the approaching man, pretending like nothing is wrong. Once the man disappears from their sight, Baekhyun clenches his fists. “You won’t get away with this. We are constantly under watch in these buildings.”

The woman laughs again, moving her hand in a swirling motion. “Not if I dealt with all the cameras already.”

As they walk to the house Baekhyun and Kyungsoo live in, Baekhyun can’t help but ask, “Why are you doing this? I don’t understand.”

“Why? Well, let’s see… this academy has tossed me away after I got into a training accident like I amount to nothing. My son who I sacrificed my entire life to train has betrayed me and entered the very academy I loathe. I need to do _something_ shouldn’t I?”

Baekhyun frowns, “Betrayed you?”

“Stop asking questions, boy,” Kyung Mi snaps just as their house comes to view. “Oh look… we’re almost there.”

Baekhyun opens the door, hoping Kyungsoo isn’t there. Kyung Mi seems to be dangerous and he’d rather deal with her alone than let Kyungsoo meet her, if what he saw during their mock fight is anything to believe.

“Baekhyun! You’re back early,” Kyungsoo’s voice reaches him as he steps inside. Kyungsoo is in the kitchen, wearing an apron and holding a spatula, “I made us dinner.”

Before Baekhyun can answer, Kyung Mi enters behind him, “Hello son, hope you made enough for me too.”

The sound of the spatula hitting the floor is the only sound that’s audible for a few chilling seconds.

Baekhyun starts to feel panic and anger in his heart, and Kyungsoo’s eyes reflect them. The man who never showed his emotions is now wearing them so naturally that Baekhyun can’t help but want to hug him.

Kyungsoo comes out of his shock and lets his eyes drop to Baekhyun's hands. “Let him go.”

Kyung Mi walks closer to Baekhyun and brings her hand to his face, caressing his cheeks. “Oh, but I wanted to get to know my cute future son-in-law.”

Baekhyun swats her hand away, making her chuckle. “He’s so kind, Kyungsoo… didn’t even attack me in case I hurt a passing human.”

“Let. Him. Go.”

Kyung Mi ignores Kyungsoo’s angry demand and continues, “I knew the old geezer asked you to come here to the academy. But do you know what hurt me the most? My own son listening to the director who threw me out of the academy.”

Baekhyun slowly burns away his cuffs using a laser light while Kyung Mi talks. Once he’s free from them, he moves away from her slowly.

“You injured yourself after attacking a fellow trainee!” Kyungsoo snaps in clear frustration.

“But no, that is not what hurts me the most… you are the reason your father – my soulmate – is dead!” Kyung Mi bellows at Kyungsoo, making Baekhyun turn to her in shock.

Kyungsoo’s emotions are a mess and Baekhyun can feel them.

“YOU KILLED HIM!” he shouts in anger, “He was just trying to protect me from you!”

Before Baekhyun could react, Kyungsoo attacks his mother, making the earth around her trap her in place.

Kyung Mi doesn’t take long to react, sending out her own metal bullets which Kyungsoo seems to easily avoid. Her entire body slowly turns to metal and she easily frees herself from the earth binding her.

“You ungrateful child, you are the reason your father died and you have no remorse. I am going to kill your soulmate and make you suffer just as I did so you can understand the pain!” Kyung Mi immediately tries to control Baekhyun’s cuffs but realizes he has already freed himself from them.

“You will NOT touch him!” Kyungsoo cries as he launches another attack, now with magma. The hot magma burns the metal body where it hits his mother and she roars.

Baekhyun, knowing Kyungsoo is uncharacteristically angry enough to even kill his mother, decides to take things into his own hands. He first creates an image of the fight between the mother and the son. Sending it to the director of the academy for backup, he then turns to the now close combat between them.

He has just started learning the applications of psychic light, but he figures the best way to stop the two is to blind Kyung Mi’s mind.

Concentrating on Kyung Mi’s fighting figure, he sends out psychic light to attack her. It seems to work as she suddenly stops moving and falls to the ground.

Kyungsoo stops in his tracks as he stares at her, confused at first until he looks at Baekhyun.

“I just blinded her mind from having any thoughts. It doesn’t work for very long. Please stop, Kyungsoo. You might kill her.”

Kyungsoo’s anger melts a little at his words and he stares at his mother’s motionless body. Moving his hands in a circular motion, he creates a bubble of a barrier to trap his mother. “You can let her go now. Her power is only a subset of mine. She won’t be able to break this barrier.”

Baekhyun releases his light and feels lightheaded immediately from exertion. Just as he’s done, Kyung Mi wakes up and starts cursing them from inside the barrier.

“Are you okay?” Kyungsoo asks as he comes closer to Baekhyun.

Baekhyun nods, “It just takes a lot of energy for the psychic light to work. But are _you_ okay?”

Kyungsoo purses his lips. Baekhyun can guess.

The director of the academy is a kind-looking man. He thanks both Baekhyun and Kyungsoo for catching Kyung Mi and informs them that the Unveiled police now have custody over her.

Kyungsoo doesn’t want anything to do with the proceedings and Baekhyun understands why. Their house is ruined now so they are staying in the clinic for the night.

Yixing checks on both of them, fussing over every little detail before Baekhyun convinces him they are both fine and to let them rest. Jongdae is going to be astonished when he hears about this tomorrow but for now, his best friend is sleeping peacefully in his bed.

“I didn’t want you to find out about my mother like that,” Kyungsoo says when they are finally alone in the hospital ward. Kyungsoo is sitting on his bed, hands clasped over his lap and head down.

Baekhyun walks over to the bed next to him and sits opposite him. Reaching his hand across to hold Kyungsoo’s in his, he says, “It’s okay, everything’s okay. You can tell me when you want to or if you want to.”

“I was supposed to tell you tonight…”

Baekhyun pats Kyungsoo’s hands in reassurance.

Kyungsoo finally looks up, “My mother was a trainee here once. Her power is metal manipulation and she was pretty strong. My father was a support crew here and that’s how they met before finding out they were soulmates.”

“She once got into a fight with a fellow trainee and hurt both the trainee and herself. The director couldn’t help but suspend her. My dad followed her because he loved her,” Kyungsoo pauses before continuing, “She was fine at first… loving even after she had me. But once she saw my powers manifest, she turned obsessive. She wanted to train me. She wanted to prove to the academy that threw her out that she is stronger than them.”

Baekhyun listens without interrupting, afraid that any sound may break Kyungsoo from his heartfelt revelations.

“At some point, her training became extreme, dangerous even. She didn’t like it when I showed weakness and would punish me when I did. I wasn’t even supposed to be happy because happiness would make me neglect to notice the surroundings,” Kyungsoo’s voice becomes unstable.

Baekhyun couldn’t help but ask, “How old were you then?”

“Six, I think. I don’t remember very well,” Kyungsoo answers, making Baekhyun gasp a little in surprise.

“It wasn’t easy at first. A six-year-old wouldn’t have the best control over his emotions so I would often get in trouble. She would lock me in a closet for the whole night when I let my emotions get the best of me. She especially hates crying,” Kyungsoo continues.

Baekhyun can’t help the rage that is pulsing through his veins as he hears Kyungsoo’s words. “What about your father? Did he not help?”

Kyungsoo purses his lips, “He… he tried. He would sneak me food when I was left to starve. He would tend to my wounds. But he wasn’t strong enough to go against my mother, and he loved her too much to stand up to her.”

Baekhyun almost wants to scoff.

“By the age of 11, when we first started to feel our soulmates, I had learned to control my emotions. I… it might not have been healthy, but I learned how to lock them up. Which is why you never felt me.”

Baekhyun feels his heartache for Kyungsoo.

“I did feel you, Baekhyun. Since I was 11. But I hated the concept of soulmates. Seeing how helpless Father was just because Mother was his soulmate, made me believe soulmates are just toxic,” Kyungsoo’s voice is pleading like he’s asking Baekhyun to understand and not to get angry.

Baekhyun can’t help but tear up as Kyungsoo continues. “And about a year ago, my mother was angry that I refused to learn the demonic art of earth manipulation. She started attacking me and my father saw that she was going too far. He wanted to save me and pushed me away when my mother attacked me. He was a frail person and couldn’t take the hit. My mother ran away after seeing that she killed him, her own soulmate. But I guess she couldn’t stop her obsession over me.”

“You are obviously stronger than her, why didn’t you escape or even defeat her?” Baekhyun asks.

Kyungsoo looks down again, and away. He fidgets with his fingers. “I just… couldn’t. Doing so would hurt my father and I didn’t want to hurt him.”

“I felt you for the first time one year ago,” Baekhyun admits, barely holding his urge to hug Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo nods, “That was probably when my mother killed my father. I… My father was the closest person in my life. I was homeschooled so the only time I got to meet people was when I was taken to participate in power battles. So seeing him die… was more than I could take.”

Baekhyun frowns, “Kyungsoo, it’s okay to feel sad about it.”

Looking up, Kyungsoo continues, “I always had nightmares after that day. Every day. But they didn’t start to turn into night terrors until I started caring about you.”

Baekhyun blinks, surprised. “I thought it was a coincidence we were awake at the same time every night. Looks like your nightmares kept me up too.”

“Sorry… I started going to counseling so it should get better.”

Baekhyun can’t help it anymore and gets up to sit next to Kyungsoo. Without saying anything, he hugs the boy tightly. “I’m sorry, Kyungsoo. I shouldn’t have said all that about how you were ungrateful without even listening to you! I’m so sorry you had to suffer so much and I’m sorry you lost your father. I’m sorry I didn’t know how you felt about soulmates! I’m just sorry. And I’m glad you took the initiative to get help, no matter for what reason.”

Baekhyun is full-on crying now and he could feel Kyungsoo hugging him back hesitantly. Baekhyun pats him on his head as he tightens the hug and Kyungsoo starts crying.

“It’s okay… I got you,” Baekhyun says as he feels Kyungsoo cry harder.

Both of them stay up all night in each other’s arms, falling asleep in the same bed at some point.

“You have got to be kidding me! I totally won that fight! You know what? Let’s go at it again!” Baekhyun exclaims as they reach their house.

Kyungsoo laughs, “Okay.”

Baekhyun immediately starts to fall after hitting his leg on a soft vine, but he already sees it coming and pulls Kyungsoo along with him, making both of them fall on the soft ground with a thud. Kyungsoo lies on top of Baekhyun and Baekhyun starts to whine, “This isn’t fair! We haven’t started the battle yet!”

Kyungsoo smiles, bringing his face closer to Baekhyun’s, and suddenly, Baekhyun can’t breathe. His heart starts beating so loud that he’s sure Kyungsoo can feel it.

“Can I kiss you?” Kyungsoo asks when his lips are just half an inch away from Baekhyun’s.

Looking down at Kyungsoo’s heart-shaped lips, Baekhyun whispers back, “Yes.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally supposed to be a much bigger and detailed fic but I wasn't able to find the time to go into it as much as I'd imagined. Hopefully, it's still a good read! If it seems rushed, that's because it is T-T
> 
> The mods have been very responsive even when I couldn't write for months due to personal life and they have been very understanding. SO thank you for that! Thank You for running this fest!
> 
> Finally, thank you for reading through this fic and even the notes! Hope you enjoyed reading it!
> 
> I couldn't have finished this if Rin didn't bribe me to do so and if Liv didn't help me with brainstorming as well correcting. And if Tam didn't hype and encourage me so thank you guys... i owe you ❤


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